Bonds
by Angel Taisha
Summary: AU fic: A bond can be a powerful thing between people. So strong in fact, that it can transcend even death. Baralai X Isaaru pairing, just so you know. Chapter 6 is up!
1. Chapter 1

Many things can happen in a year.

Someone could die, a birthday or anniversary could be had, or a new life could be born into the world.

For Baralai, a year was time he knew he had wasted on being afraid; Afraid to go back home, to where his life had screeched to a halt when he became possessed by a thousand year old lovelorn spirit hell bent on the destruction of Spira.

A year ago, after the final celebrations were held in honor of the defeat of Vegnagun and the return of the Eternal Calm, Baralai wanted to disappear; to be somewhere no one would bother him with papers, tasks, and questions about his disappearance or his possession. To not have to answer to anyone or anything was like his ultimate wet dream; after all he had been through, the desire for reclusion poured over him like ice cold water on a hot summer's day.

The truth was though- Baralai wasn't really hiding from having to work at the temple, or from having to do a few very low key interviews with Shelinda. As a matter of fact, it wasn't so much _what_ he was hiding from- it was _who_.

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Enjoying the air's gentle windy kisses and the sun's warm, inviting rays on a rock facing the ocean, Baralai sat with his knees huddled into his chest; his chin resting comfortably on them as a crutch while deep in thought.

Behind him he heard the sound of sand shifting as if it were being shoveled into a bucket. As he glanced over to his right, he recognized the silhouette as the body of a young, familiar female. He turned to his right and smiled at Yuna.

"I thought I'd find you here." She said with a giggle while she climbed over to where he was sitting. Baralai reached for her hand to help her keep balanced and she pulled herself onto the wet rock beside him. "What is it about this spot that you like so much anyway?"

"Something about the water helps me to think." He replied, settling his chin back to its former position. Yuna kicked off her flip flops and dangled her feet into the ocean; they acted as a pendulum swaying upward into the air, then back into the water again.

"The question is-" He began, "why are _you _here?" His emphasis on the word 'you' showed just a hint of annoyance, but not so much as to imply that he was wholly bothered. Truth be told, he wasn't at all. Baralai welcomed the company. Sure he was 'thinking', but entirely too much, and the break in thought was nice.

Yuna punched him in the arm playfully and hopped off the rock. "It's time to eat. I don't recall you being in the village for lunch so you must be hungry. I've come to get you." When Yuna extended her hand, Baralai grabbed it reluctantly and pulled himself away from his comfy seat.

"I guess I _should_ eat something. My behind was getting rather sore anyway." He chuckled, rubbing his backside and positioning himself beside Yuna. "Shall we go then? After you."

Yuna was the one that initially convinced Baralai that Besaid would be the perfect place for him to escape for a while. It took little prodding to get him to stay once he saw the beauty of the forest and the water rolling peacefully along Besaid's sandy shores.

Since Yuna was by herself what with Rikku and Paine continuing with their sphere hunting rituals, and the fact that Tidus never returned, she figured the company would do her some good as well. She insisted he share a hut with her in the corner of the village and he gladly accepted, much to the chagrin of Wakka and Lulu, who still thought [even at twenty] that Yuna was too innocent and impressionable. There was nothing to worry about though; they were more like brother and sister than lovers.

Dead, dry leaves crunched beneath their feet while they walked in silence toward the now bustling village. In the past year, many had also taken residence there, raising families and some living their golden years in new houses along the beach. Looking over at Baralai who was engrossed by the ground below, Yuna could tell he was once again deep in thought, and that what ever he was pondering caused him much worry.

"So…" she interjected between the quietude, cupping her hands awkwardly behind her back. "What's on your mind? Are you thinking about _him_ again?"

'_He' _was a very sore subject for Baralai. '_He'_ was the reason Baralai was hiding out; '_he'_

was the one Baralai was afraid of, and why he sat in thought most of the time. Shrugging, but not removing his gaze toward his boots, Baralai spoke softly.

"Yeah. I miss him."

Coiling a comforting arm around him, Yuna pulled Baralai into her chest and they stopped in the center of the forest. She could feel the dampness of his tear stained cheek against her bare shoulder, and she heard soft, quivering sobs coming from him as he cried. Yuna was used to this; this wasn't the first time he had broken down in front of her. The two had become so close that such things weren't really that big of an issue any longer while in each other's company. In a way Yuna was sad as well; she knew it was time.

"You know what you have to do Baralai." Yuna informed him, while running her hand up and down his back. "You can't stay here any longer. It's about time you face him, and repair the damage that's been done."

Baralai knew she was right, but uncertainty is a tough demon to exorcise. Breaking away from Yuna's embrace, Baralai made his way over to a clearing and sat down on the grass. He pulled up some of the weeds next to him and twisted them around his fingers.

"What if it's too late, Yuna?" he asked, flicking the stem between his thumb and fore finger, sending it flying through the air. "So much time has passed. What am I supposed to say to him?" Sighing heavily, he reclined to his back and stared upward toward the splintered sunlight through the trees. Yuna joined her friend and knelt down next to him, her arms resting on her thighs.

"I wish I had an answer for that, but to be honest, I just don't know." Her voice trailed off, and she turned to face the path in front of them. "What I DO know is, if I had the opportunity to be with _him_ again and to tell him just what you told me- that I missed him, I wouldn't be wasting my time here wondering what he'd say. You have to take advantage of the chances you're given, or else you'll end up alone." She stifled a few tears of her own, and knuckled away the ones that had managed to escape. "When you share a bond with someone, no matter how much time passes between you, that bond will always be there as long as you both believe in it. That is how I feel- even though I may never see _him_ again, our bond is stronger than ever. I just know it." Yuna sniffled and turning to Baralai, she smiled warmly at the thought.

"A bond." He exhaled the word with wonder in his tone. "I've completely forgotten about that."

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**[Flashback to Kilika at Baralai's house: more than a year and a half previous.]**

_There wasn't any time. Baralai needed to stop Rikku, Yuna, and Paine from harming Vegnagun before it ended up killing them. As Baralai made his way for the front door of his home, he was halted in his tracks by a dark haired young man standing before him; his hazel eyes shot through the praetor intensely._

"_Where are you going?" Isaaru asked, folding his arms to his chest, an eyebrow lifted in curiosity as he eyed him suspiciously._

"_There is no time for me to explain." He noted calmly, clenching his fists at his sides all the while fighting back tears. "I have to go. You have to let me go. Don't ask me any questions, please." Baralai knew anything he'd said at that moment wasn't going to go over well, and he awaited a response followed by a barrage of queries. Instead of receiving any of that, Isaaru walked toward Baralai and encased his hands in his. Unable to hold in his emotions, Baralai wrapped his arms around Isaaru and caressed the back of his neck tenderly._

"_Something has happened." Baralai began, whispering into his ear. "I have to go and try to set things right. People's lives could be at stake...I can't let that happen..."_

_Isaaru interrupted his lover and cupped his cheeks between his delicate, porcelain hands. "Stop. Don't say anymore."_

_Baralai was shocked. When the final tears trickled down his face and his vision became clear, Baralai didn't see eyes of anger and hurt in Isaaru; in them he saw love and compassion. In that instant, the praetor moved in and stole one final kiss from the lips of his swain. _

_Isaaru continued._

"_I understand. If you have to go, I'll not hold you back. You must come back to me though. I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes." Isaaru began to tremble, and his voice too was shaky. Baralai squeezed the former summoner tightly; he wanted to burn into his memory the warmth he was feeling from the embrace._

"_I don't want you to do that. What if I don't come back?" Those words were very hard to say, and Baralai had a tough time letting them escape his lips. He was once again assured by Isaaru._

"_You'll come back. We have a bond, you and I. As long as I feel it here," Isaaru pointed to his heart and smiled. "I'll know you're alive, and someday you will return. Believe in that and you will never be alone." He brushed his lips against Baralai's cheek and kissed him softly. "Now go. I'll take care of things here until you get back."_

_With those words, and with a heavy heart, Baralai approached the front door. As he looked back over his shoulder to the man standing in the middle of his living room he smiled wearily as if to silently thank him, and made haste for the ferry docked at the edge of town._

_That was the last he saw of Isaaru before Shuyin transferred himself from Nooj to Baralai, taking complete control of his body and forcing him down to the deepest depths of the Farplane._

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By the time Yuna and Baralai finally reached the village, the sun had set and the stars sparkled across the clear, night sky. Waiting impatiently with her arms folded and her foot tapping, Lulu smiled at Yuna and scowled in disapproval toward Baralai. "You're late. Where have you two been, anyway? Your dinner is now cold."

"We just got sidetracked." Yuna reasoned, taking Baralai's hand in hers and strolling past her 'warden' casually. "We'll just eat it in the hut Lulu. Thank you."

Baralai bowed his head and muttered an apology as they walked by. Even after all this time, something about Lulu just unnerved him. It must have been all those belts, or perhaps the heaving cleavage? He knew she didn't really care for him, but he also understood why, being he _did_ share a hut with Yuna even if it _was_ only a platonic arrangement.

The bonfire blazed brightly in the center of Besaid; villagers were eating and chatting amongst themselves; some were singing and others were just warming themselves up. With plates in hand, Baralai and Yuna entered their hut and sat on the floor facing each other. Biting into his grilled chocobo, Baralai began to reiterate his plans to Yuna for the day ahead.

"I guess I will go back to Kilika in the morning. I must know how Isaaru is doing. I can't stay here wondering any longer."

Yuna nodded, taking a sip from her cup of water. "Don't leave without waking me up first. I want to see you off."

As the night went on, villagers went back to their huts one by one, until the only signs of life were sounds of the crickets chirping in the grass and trees surrounding the huts. Yuna had fallen asleep, her body was cocooned inside her blankets and she faced the wall. Baralai lay awake in his bed, staring across the room into the darkness. He was nervous, but at the same time the loving words of Isaaru echoed in his head over and over again like a sweet lullaby.

_We have a bond, you and I. As long as I feel it here… _

…_You will never be alone._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Sleep Better**

Baralai had difficulty staying asleep that night. In and out of consciousness he would drift; mindlessly dreaming about the various scenarios that could go down the next day when he finally returned to Kilika. At some times he would have dreams and visions so vivid he wasn't able to tell if he were actually awake or still sleeping. His mind was troubled; his thoughts were racing at miles a minute.

Abruptly waking up from his latest adventure in dreamland, Baralai faced the front door of the hut; the moonlight illuminated an image that appeared to be someone sitting at the edge of Yuna's bed. Quickly adjusting his eyesight to the darkness, he was able to assess that it was in fact Yuna. She was sobbing quietly; a tissue clutched in her hand muffled the sounds of her sniffles.

Baralai rolled out of bed unsure if what he was experiencing was actually real or not. Still, he knew Yuna was upset about something either way, so he made his way over to the bed and sat down beside her.

"Yuna? What's wrong?" He asked, placing his left arm around her. "Did you have one of those dreams again?"

Yuna buried her head in Baralai's nightshirt; the satin felt soothing against her cheeks which had been rubbed raw from her crying. Taking a few minutes to collect herself, Yuna finally sat up and blew into her tissue before nodding her head.

"No, I didn't have any dreams tonight." She choked, fisting the remaining tears away from her face. "It's a stupid reason really."

* * *

When Baralai came to Besaid, it was pretty close to the same time Yuna decided to quit the Gullwings and live her life peacefully. Peacefully and alone, that is; Bahamut was unable to grant her wish to bring Tidus back for what ever reasons that were beyond his or the Fayth's control. In the beginning it was hard for her, mainly because she had gone through all that trouble to get answers behind the spheres they'd found only to discover it was all a wild goose chase. Losing Tidus once was a trial, but to lose him again was often difficult for Yuna to take at times. Every so often she would have dreams where she envisioned Tidus standing there, but as she got closer in proximity to him it seemed that he would step farther back. These dreams would cause her to wake up discouraged, sweaty and crying in the middle of the night and Baralai was always there to comfort and hold her until she drifted back to sleep. 

It was good for her that Baralai was a light sleeper, although it was a bother for him due to the fact that he needed absolute silence to rest. Even when he lived in Kilika he had had the bedroom and study in his home soundproofed. It was well known by the other workers in the temple what a bear Baralai could be if he didn't get his full ten hours of repose. Most people didn't need that much sleep but he did. Going to bed at an early time was all part of a strict schedule he made himself follow ritually. It took him almost two months of living in Besaid to finally get accustomed to the sounds of the insects and nocturnal animals at night before he was able to rest fully. He had no choice but to adjust really; there was no way to make them all silent unless they were all terminated which he knew was an impossible task to accomplish.

* * *

"There are no such things as stupid reasons for crying, Yuna." Baralai assured her, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down. "If it were in fact a stupid reason you wouldn't be so upset. Tell me what's troubling you." 

"It's… just that…" She stammered, playing with the wet tissue in her hand nervously. "You're leaving tomorrow, and I feel… so alone."

"But you're _not_ alone." Baralai noted, inching himself backwards across the mattress to where Yuna's pillows were. "You have Wakka and Lulu. They will never let you be by yourself." Once he pulled the blankets over his legs, he motioned for her to come to where he was laying. Yuna crawled over and settled herself inside the blankets next to him, resting her head on his chest. His heartbeat was soothing, and he traced his fingers up and down her arm gingerly.

"But Wakka and Lulu have each other" Yuna reasoned, taking in the scent of cedars that was Baralai's cologne. "And they have Vidina. I only feel like I'm in the way. You've been such a wonderful friend; it almost feels like I'm losing Tidus all over again. Baralai- I can't go through that. I can't deal with it anymore. Everyone I've come to love and get close to leaves me." The last sentence sent her sobbing again, and she clutched Baralai's shirt with both hands like a needy child.

There was very little Baralai could do at this point but wrap his arms around Yuna and squeeze as tight as he could. "Yuna- I am not dead! I will only be a town or two away and you can come see me anytime you'd like. As a matter of fact, I hope you do. I've come to value your friendship as well. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have been able to deal with any of this past year. In a way, you and I share a bond of our own, just like how we have one with Tidus and Isaaru. I'll always be there for you Yuna. You can count on that. …Yuna?"

Looking down at his chest, he'd noticed that Yuna had fallen asleep; her grip on his shirt weakened and she curled herself into him; her breathing was no longer labored, but more relaxed.

"Works every time" Baralai laughed a little to himself and rested his head back on the pillow, eventually joining her in sleep.

Oddly enough, the cicadas and owls outside in the forest seemed louder than usual but it didn't faze Baralai in the least.

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A/N: This was a shorty, but kind of like a bridge I think- if that makes any sense. I hope I didn't make them come off as lover's cuz that wasn't the goal here. I just imagine this very close relationship between the two of them, ya know? Just a pure platonic friendship where there's love, but not sex. Yes- it is possible for relationships like that, LOL! 


	3. Chapter 3

**That morning on the dock of Besaid.**

"You'll come back, won't you?" a tearful Yuna asked him with a shaky voice. They faced each other on the dock holding one another's hands; two cases made from intricately woven bamboo sat at each of Baralai's sides. Releasing her from his grip, he thumbed away a tear that slid down Yuna's cheek and kissed her softly in its place.

"Of course I'll come back" he assured her, giving his best smile under the circumstances. "I'm going to miss you, Yuna. Thank you for all you've done. Now, I should get on that boat before it leaves without me." Bending down, Baralai picked up the suitcases and headed toward the vessel that would be his ride home to Kilika. Yuna walked with him until they reached the main gate, and she stood behind it and waited. Silhouetted by the morning sun as he appeared before her on the starboard deck, Baralai waved down at Yuna. "Wish me luck!" he called out to her.

"You'll be fine!" She declared, waving frantically back. "I hope you'll be happy together! Take care!" The wind whipped her skirt and hair about her as the boat started to sail slowly away from the planks she stood on. Yuna didn't leave the spot until the ship was no longer in her sights and all that remained of it was the large wake that was left behind.

* * *

He sat nervously inside one of the restaurant booths in the cabin of the ship, playing with the salt shaker; screwing off the cap, then re attaching it again. His fries were hardly touched because he was far too uneasy to eat anything. No matter how positive he felt about this- there were always the possibilities of rejection hovering like a Mega Bomb just waiting to explode. Baralai's stomach was in knots, and Kilika couldn't approach on the horizon soon enough.

As the evening replaced the day, the boat finally reached Kilika and docked. Baralai felt like a stranger in his own village; everything looked the same, but he didn't connect with the once familiar vibes he was getting from his surroundings. Dropping the baggage before him, Baralai took in the scent of the low tide, seaweed and cooking from the villagers' huts and stared off in the direction of his own home.

Something was amiss though.

Leaving his bags behind, he paced quickly over to his house in disbelief of what he was seeing before him. When he reached the front yard- or what was left of it, he rubbed his eyes vigorously in hopes it was all a mirage.

"What… happened…to my… house?" Was all he could mutter. The structure that was once where he lived- a place he considered his temple was now a leveled out outline of the former residence with a 'Lot for Sale' sign sticking out of the ground screwed into a steel pole. Behind him, Baralai spotted a villager out of the corner of his eye walking his pooch toward the forest and he spun around, tapping the man on his shoulder.

"Sir! I ask you, what happened to this house?" He waited for the answer as if the man were a fortune teller about to reveal the meaning of life. Instead, the man put a hand to his head and scratched it lightly, looking toward the vacant lot.

"Hmm…" the native thought, trying to piece together the information. "It was demolished… I think about six or so months ago. It was considered 'polluted' or something." Those words were a shock for Baralai. He couldn't understand what he'd meant by that.

"Polluted? From what?" Baralai asked again, glancing once at the man, then back at the empty space. "How does a home get polluted? Do you know where the man is that was living here? He was a bit taller than me, but with dark, chestnut colored hair and he wore temple robes."

"Oh! You mean Praetor Isaaru?" The heavyset man noted, tugging on the chain that constricted his dog. "I'm afraid he was the reason the house was demolished."

The more Baralai was hearing, the more confused he had become. He found it odd that Isaaru would even _consider_ tearing down this house. He had loved it just as much as Baralai did at one point. The only detail he'd heard so far that didn't surprise him was when the man addressed his lover as 'Praetor Isaaru'. Baralai knew that after he'd vanished that Isaaru would take over for him at the temple. He did a phenomenal job of it also; even better than Baralai himself. It still didn't make any sense though why this happened.

"I'm sorry sir" Baralai apologized, bowing to the man proper. "I just don't understand why Is- I mean, 'Praetor' Isaaru would agree to such a thing. Is there anything in addition you can tell me?"

Replacing the once smiling face to a more solemn one, the man heaved a heavy sigh and began to tell Baralai of Isaaru's whereabouts.

"I'm afraid he is at the temple infirmary. He has been there for about six or so months. I'm not sure why; no one will say- they just said he was really sick and that the house had to be destroyed. Now if you'll excuse me." Tipping his straw hat, the man offered a smile and walked away with his dog, which had grown impatient of his owner's lollygagging.

Thanking the man profusely for the information, Baralai turned and ran toward the small ferry that was docked next to the ship he'd just come to town on. He didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but he felt it inside that he needed to get to the Temple and that infirmary post haste. A tugging pain in his heart knew something horrible had taken place, and there was little or no time to spare.

* * *

Bevelle Temple: A place he hadn't seen since he was possessed by Shuyin in the deepest recesses of it. The whole scene made him feel uncomfortable, but he sucked up any awkward, frightening feelings and made his way to the entrance as fast as his boots would take him. Being that it was so late, only one of the glass partitions was open and only to those that worked there. Noticing one of the guards as someone he once knew, Baralai crossed his fingers and tried his best to convince the guy to let him through. The guard did a double take as he recognized his former employer approaching him and he smiled, bowing politely.

"Praetor Baralai! A pleasure to see you sir. It has been too long."

"Yes, it has, Lentes." Baralai responded, bowing in return. "Can you tell me, is Isaaru inside? Is he well?" At first Lentes was reluctant to say anything, but seeing as Baralai looked so distraught he decided to tell him.

"Yes sir, he is. He's in the Temple infirmary on the fifth level below. I'm afraid I cannot let you in to see him though. It's not safe."

"Please, Lentes" Baralai pleaded, cupping his hands together. "I must see him. It's of the utmost importance. I don't even know what's wrong with him. Won't you let me in?" The desperation grew in his tone and the guard sensed it, stepping aside.

"Tell no one I allowed this. Please be careful sir." Lentes warned, letting Baralai pass.

Once again expressing his thanks, Baralai headed as swiftly as he could to the lift that would take him below. The lift shook, making balance a difficult task, but the railing was readily available as a support. On the way down, Baralai couldn't wrap his mind around what could have possibly happened to the one he loved; why he was in isolation, why it was so dangerous. All the while the pain in his chest increased as did the worry; he wasn't sure what he was getting himself into.

At last, for what seemed like an eternity Baralai made it to the fifth corridor and stepped off the lift hastily. He figured by the nurse sitting in a chair outside an infirmary room, that that was Isaaru's and as he got closer to her she began to panic and tried to block him off.

"Sir! You cannot go past here; it is very dangerous to your health! Please! Go back upstairs right now." Her gloved hands pressed up against the silk of Baralai's shirt but she was unable to keep him at bay.

"I want to see him! You must let me see him, or tell me what has happened! Nilla- it is I, Praetor Baralai and Isaaru is my friend. You must let me pass!"

Baralai and Isaaru had always referred to each other as 'friends' around their fellow temple men/women. It wasn't that they were ashamed of each other or anything, just that when they first started to see each other more exclusively they didn't want to give any impressions of favoritism or incapability to maintain a fair and balanced religion without personal feelings and involvement getting in the way. They were both certain before Baralai departed that everyone was aware of their affair, but they never admitted it. No one asked.

Nilla hardly recognized the former praetor without his traditional robes on and she stopped holding him off in the hallway when she realized who he was. "Sorry praetor." She said, bowing repeatedly. "I did not know that was you, sir. I will tell you what had happened to Isaaru. Have a seat here, please." She led him to a chair in front of the door and she began to explain the situation. Baralai listened intently; his eyes fixated on the blue eyed blonde before him.

_It turned out, even though Isaaru was named the new, temporary Praetor in Baralai's absence, he still liked to venture to the monkey infested Zanarkand ruins once in a while to collect his thoughts and clear his mind. Being around those monkeys was always a risky business; they were feral and ridden with fleas. It wasn't uncommon for Isaaru to find a few hopping about him occasionally after a visit from there. One evening in particular, Isaaru found he had been bitten by one of the fleas just below his left underarm, and he thought very little of it; he simply treated the bite with caution and went along with his routines for days afterward._

_Then, shortly after, Isaaru fell gravely ill. At first, he had a terrible headache which immobilized him for a couple of days; after recovering from that he couldn't quite keep his strength up and he began to feel constantly run down, but he wasn't doing anything strenuous in the least, which was puzzling to the temple medics. On top of it all, his muscles began to ache in ways he'd never experienced, and by the time he'd made it back to the temple doctor for another examination he had collapsed to the ground. After undressing Isaaru to examine him, they noticed a welt where the flea had initially bitten, which was about ten centimeters round, and warm against the nurses fingers. It seemed the flea carried a disease of some sort, and Isaaru was the unlucky recipient of it._

When Nilla was done telling her story, Baralai stared toward the tiled floor; his eyes stinging from the newly formed tears in his eyes. Without a word, he stood up from the chair and approached the glass partition that allowed visual access to Isaaru's room.

Among the bright fluorescent lighting, in a bed positioned in the center of the large, empty room, equally blinding white blankets covered his love; an IV dripped, attached to Isaaru's right wrist, and a machine for monitoring his heartbeat was conjoined with Isaaru through many blue and red wires taped to his chest. His face was pale, his eyes; once as vibrant as the falling leaves of autumn were lifeless; glazed over but seeming to stare into the room transfixed on something only he could see. A mane of chestnut hair damp with sweat cascaded haphazardly over his mint colored infirmary gown.

With his hands and head pressed firmly against the glass, Baralai took in the scene with horror. Slamming the paned surface with an angry fist, he turned to Nilla sadly. "What's gonna happen to him? Can they do anything?"

Nilla shook her head.

"I'm afraid not. No one has been in there. They are all too afraid to catch whatever it is he has to try to save him." She hung her head sadly, taking a worn tissue from her pocket and wiping her eyes. "His condition never changes… he just lies there. I wish for his sake he would leave us, just to save him the pain, but it almost seems as if something, some kind of force is keeping him here."

In that moment Baralai was able to ascertain just why Isaaru was 'holding on'. It hit him that it was the bond they spoke of, and he remembered how Isaaru once told him he would wait for him to return one day. Baralai walked past the nurse and headed for the entrance to the quarantined room. Nilla grabbed at the sleeve of Baralai's shirt but the silk slipped through her fingers. "Sir! You're not allowed in there! You could catch his sickness! Please!"

"You mean to tell me that absolutely NO ONE has been in there to help him!" an angered Baralai put his hand on the doorknob and turned to face Nilla; his eyes were burning with fury. "Why didn't anyone summon me? Why wasn't Yuna called? We would have helped him! We would have done more than what NOTHING has done for him! I demand to know why!"

Nilla tried to speak, but she fumbled in her words out of nervousness. After a few incoherent babblings from her, she was able to answer properly. "Isaaru didn't want any help from you or Lady Yuna."

He looked at Nilla with disbelief. "But… why?" He had begun to wish that this was all just a horrific nightmare and he wanted so badly to wake up from the madness. The nurse tried as hard as she could to make Baralai understand, but she could tell that whatever she was saying wasn't registering the way it should have.

"It was strict orders." She reasoned, throwing her arms up in the air. "He didn't want either of you to be inconvenienced further after all that had happened with Vegnagun and the second saving of Spira."

What Nilla said hit a nerve, but it wasn't the fact that Isaaru didn't want either his or Yuna's help.

_Isaaru knew where I was then. _He thought to himself. Baralai began to wonder why Isaaru never came to get him, but before letting the thoughts run away with him he quick focused on the present. Isaaru was in the other room and he wanted to see him right away.

Nilla backed away from the entrance, covering her mouth with her tissue hoping not to have caught any stray bacteria as Baralai opened the door. The air inside the room was heavy and it reeked of sickness and decay, making Baralai retch almost instantly, causing him to double over and hold his nose. The steel framed door slammed shut behind him, echoing throughout the four walls.

Gaining his composure finally, he made his way toward his sick friend lying in the bed before him. Baralai wheeled a dusty chair that was by the monitor over to the side of the bed and sat down; his left hand trembled as he picked up Isaaru's cold, clammy one, and he encased it with his right, caressing the top of it gently before raising it up to his lips and kissing it. His tears splashed on the frail fingers and dripped onto the sheets which were dingy and dirty from no one changing them for many months.

"I'm here." Was all Baralai could say, but even that was a barely audible whisper for he was so overcome with emotion. To fathom this withering, lifeless body as being the one of the strapping and handsome man he loved was excruciatingly hard for him. All Baralai did for a good few minutes was sob quietly, continuing to stroke Isaaru's hand and kiss it continually.

That is, until he felt a slight quiver from it.

At first, Baralai dismissed it as his imagination, but with every passing moment the movement began to increase; eventually the bony fingers slowly wrapped themselves around Baralai's hand and squeezed very lightly. Looking into Isaaru's eyes, he can see them trying to shift from the center of the room to make their way to match his. Isaaru's mouth attempted to open, but it took everything he had to do that, and Baralai put a finger to his lips to stop him.

"Don't. You have no strength from being sick." He watched as Isaaru slowly scanned his surroundings and grimaced in pain; the monitor lines that made up his heart beat jumped a fraction before finally settling on a more stable pulse. Inhaling deeply, the air Isaaru exhaled was just enough for him to spit out a small, fractured sentence.

"Wait…ed…f… you"

"I know." Baralai replied. "I'm sorry you had to wait so long. I wish…"

Isaaru shushed him and shook his head; his lips curled up halfway as he attempted a smile. "No… here…now." He coughed, and a trickle of blood made its way out of the corner of his mouth. Baralai pulled a handkerchief out of his shirt pocket and wiped the thick crimson from Isaaru's chin.

"Please, don't talk anymore. We have to conserve your energy so you can get better." He begged, a bit of hope in his tone. Isaaru finally smiled; a tear escaped out of a crack in his eye and hit the pillow underneath.

"Too… late… for me. One thing… though." His breathing became slower, and he struggled for air. The one thing he didn't do was lose his focus on Baralai; he stared at him intensely making his best efforts to stay alert.

"What is it?" Baralai choked, caressing Isaaru's cheek, tucking stray strands of his hair behind his ear for him. "Anything."

Isaaru coughed again, his eyes filled with fear as he tried to catch his breath. He was able to get out his request but barely.

"Want… hold… you. P-please."

Standing up immediately, Baralai got up from the chair and sat on the bed, very gingerly lifting Isaaru upwards to a sitting position. He then wrapped his arms aroundthethin figure, feeling the bedsores through the hospital gown that appeared from him never being moved. Isaaru could only rest his head on Baralai's shoulders, unable to support it on his own. With all he had left, Isaaru lifted his arms up as well, embracing Baralai as tightly as he could. He drew in more air and exhaled his final words successively.

"Thank… you…"

In that instant, Baralai felt Isaaru go limp, and his hands released,falling tothe bed. The monitor let out a continuous beep; a straight line replaced the jagged little peaks that were there just minutes before.

"You're free." He whispered, stroking the back of Isaaru's head with one hand, and holding him close with the other.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's note**__- I'm not sure what possessed me to continue with this; actually, I just know this was nagging at me for a couple of days and it was begging to be written. I was surprised at what came of it as it was nothing like I had expected. For now I'm just going to play it by ear and enjoy myself, as is the point of writing for me, anyway and if I ever do anything further with it I'll leave it at that. I always had a feeling it wasn't my intent to end it where I did; I left it open in case something like this were to happen. Just for a quick clarification- this is not a romance between Yuna & Baralai, K?  
_

**Chapter 4**

Besaid:

Yuna sat alone in her hut staring into space over at the bed by the far wall with its crisp, clean sheets and puffy pillow. It had been three days since she saw Baralai off at the dock, and she had not done much since then but stare at the space almost as if she were expecting the young man to magically appear out of thin air. She imagined him stretched out and on his side with his hand under his chin eager to listen to her babble on about everything from the townsfolk to the dirt on the ground. The vision was so vivid that Yuna actually got up and sat herself by him on his bed and tried to touch him but her hand fell to the sheets instead of his shoulder. She sighed heavily and stood back up, disappointed and angry at her thoughts for deceiving her. She was yanked from those thoughts by a rapping on the door; Lulu entered, concern washed over her face as she tried to study her former summoner's expression.

"Yuna, is everything all right?" She asked, trying not to pry too much but finding it hard to hide her curiosity. "You have hardly come out of this hut in days." The mage sat down on Baralai's bed and watched as Yuna registered her presence, finally sitting back down onto her own bed. "You know, you can always talk to me, Yuna. I am here if you need me."

Yuna twisted her feet awkwardly, watching them with feigned interest as she tried to avoid making conversation. She was unsuccessful though, as Lulu began it for her.

"When are you going to stop missing _him_ and start getting on with your life?" The woman asked, hoping she sounded genuinely concerned over her frustrated tone. "You know it's been quite a few years now and…"

"You don't need to lecture me again, Lulu." Yuna interrupted, not taking her eyes off of her feet. "I know what you're going to say, and it's not like that now. It's not because of _him_ that I'm upset."

"Then what is it?"

Yuna lifted her head and finally made eye contact with Lulu; tears fell slowly down her cheeks. "I didn't realize how much I liked having Baralai around, and now that he's gone…I miss him. It's like _**he's**_ gone all over again." She sniffled, and Lulu stood up to sit beside her friend, putting a comforting arm around her. "I thought I could finally put those feelings behind me and here they are again in another way and they hurt!" Yuna's body shook at the last sentence, truly feeling those words and admitted them aloud instead of keeping them inside. She pushed herself off of the bed and out of Lulu's grasp. "I can't get over how they hurt, Lulu and I'm sick of it!"

Lulu didn't know what to say for the first time since she knew her. She just watched as Yuna rested her arm on her dresser and sank her head into it crying for what seemed like forever before regaining her composure.

"Why does everyone leave me?"

"No one has left…"

"My mother! My father! Jecht!, Baralai!…" She shouted, ticking off each one with a finger. "…_Him_. They're all gone."

"Baralai hasn't left you, Yuna." Lulu pointed out. "Not in that way. He's still alive, just in Bevelle. You can see him anytime you want. Now please, relax; lie down and get some rest." She lifted up her hand and it began to glow a soft purple. "Let me help you sleep. You've been in this hut for three days without any food or proper rest. I'm afraid you're beginning to get stir crazy." Rising to her feet, Lulu approached Yuna and embraced her, letting the spell penetrate the girl's petite frame. In seconds Yuna could feel her body and eyelids get heavy.

"I'm sorry, Lulu." She said softly, falling limp into the mage's arms. "You're right. I did the same thing to Baralai the other day. Lately I just seem to over react to everything. Thanks for being here for me."

Lulu laid the now sleeping Yuna down onto her bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin, caressing her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're welcome."

* * *

**The same time in Bevelle:**

Baralai pulled the collar of his olive robe over his head, adjusting the ropes and smoothing out any wrinkles with his hands as he looked at himself in the mirror. With every hair in place and an unconvincing smile, the praetor left his chambers and walked down the corridor of the living quarters to the entrance of the temple. Once inside, he headed through the marbled halls to the very back and saw Pacce and Maroda standing in front of the door there. Baralai stopped in his tracks for a moment, staring at the two sadly. He hadn't seen them in a long time, and was even surprised at how much Maroda had really looked like Isaaru but taller and definitely meatier than him- at least compared to the last time Baralai saw him. At that point Baralai wasn't too sure; it had been too long. In an instant Pacce noticed the praetor and ran up to him, flinging himself into Baralai's arms.

"Baralai!" the boy said happily. "Is it really you? I haven't seen you in so long!"

Baralai tousled the eight year old's hair and smiled warmly at him. "I'm sorry, Pacce. It _has_ been too long, and I'm equally sorry it's under these…circumstances." He lifted his head towards Maroda's direction, but the young man didn't make eye contact. "How are you both holding up?"

Pacce glanced over at his brother who just continued to stare into the door's window. Covering his mouth a little with his hand, he whispered to Baralai "I'm okay. Rod hasn't said much, but I heard him crying in our room at the Thunder Plains last night when he thought I was sleeping. He's real sad."

"Yeah, I bet he is. We all are." Baralai cleared his throat. "Isaaru is…_was_ a good man Pacce; not an easy one to replace." Patting the boy on his shoulder, Baralai smiled and said quietly "Could you give us a moment, your brother and I? I would like to speak to him in private."

With a nod, Pacce ran off towards the Temple's exit to play outside, and Baralai approached the middle brother carefully. "Maroda I'm…"

"Why didn't you come back?" Maroda interrupted through gritted teeth, his eyes still not leaving the door's window. "Why did you make him suffer?"

"I didn't…"

"You did!" He said in a hushed, angry tone, finally facing Baralai. "If you would have come back after Vegnagun's defeat Isaaru wouldn't have felt so rejected! He wouldn't have felt the need to go back to those ruins!" His tone went from angry to sad, and softer. "He wouldn't have been around those damn squatter monkeys…he'd still be here. Why?"

Baralai was surprised at everything Maroda said to him. He did not know the young man was aware of anything between him and his brother. It was too late to pretend now. "Did he…tell you about us?"

"Don't be stupid, Baralai." He quipped. "First of all Isaaru wouldn't say anything, but-he didn't have to. Everyone knows, or knew…neither of you were any good at hiding anything." He placed a hand on the door window and looked inside again. It was where Isaaru's body lay in state; decked out in his summoning robes, his hair put up in the fashion he wore it in. At first glance one would have thought he was sleeping contentedly. "If you knew he felt the way he did for you…why didn't you come back?"

Baralai could do nothing but fidget; he wished he had an iron clad answer for his lover's brother but his silence spoke volumes. "I'm really sorry, Maroda." He started carefully. "I have no answer for that question. There were many things going on in my head at the time the Calm came. When I think about them now, hindsight mocks me. I thought he'd moved on, and the potential sight of seeing him with someone else would have killed me. Or I thought that I still had remnants of that thousand year old bastard inside me and that I'd hurt him." Baralai sighed, knowing his excuses weren't even getting through to himself. "I was a coward, plain and simple Maroda. What really hurts is that he hung on to wait for me. The image of him, the room, the stench…" His eyes watered and he looked up, blinking to keep the tears from falling. Baralai didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Maroda by crying, especially when he felt like he didn't even deserve to cry. "I'm just…sorry."

"He wanted you to be happy." Maroda said after a moment, still staring at his brother. "We offered, Pacce and me…to go get you several times before he got sick but he refused, saying that you'd come when you were ready. Isaaru wouldn't admit that he missed you, but we…everyone could see that he did, but we didn't want to go against his wishes to leave you alone. I guess I shouldn't be angry with you." He turned to face Baralai again, his hand still on the window. "I'm as much to blame for not doing anything as you are."

Before Baralai could get another word in, Pacce came darting back towards them from outside. He stopped in front of Maroda and looked up at his brother, gasping from the run over. "Rod! There are people coming! They say they're coming to see 'Saru!" Maroda placed his hands on Pacce's shoulders and shook his head.

"They are here to pay their respects to our brother, Pacce." He informed him. "They want to say goodbye before the final sending and burial. Lentes is going to line them up in an orderly fashion and allow a few in at a time, so you should go in there to see him one more time." Maroda looked up at Baralai. "His final papers state he wanted to be sent. We need to find someone that would be willing to do it tomorrow."

"Don't concern yourself with that now, Maroda." Baralai said kindly. "I know just the person to call for that. You just go in and see Isaaru with Pacce." He turned towards the entrance where Lentes, the temple guard began aligning the visitors but turned around one more time to face Maroda. "Let's just forgive our trespasses now and call it even. Is that alright with you?"

Maroda shook his head in agreement. "Thanks Baralai." He turned his attention to his brother. "Come on now, Pacce. Let's go inside." And with a nod from the youngest the two went inside, closing the door behind them.

Baralai could see the two through the window from where he was standing as they approached their brother's body for the first time. Maroda put a stand down so Pacce could climb up for a closer view, and then he took a spot on the other side of the casket. Pacce touched Isaaru's face with the back of his hand and fell to his brother's chest as Maroda reached over to him, patting him gently on the head. Maroda then joined his brother, burying his own head in his arms at Isaaru's chest as well; their shoulders jerked mildly from their sobs in alternating motions.

Deciding he didn't want to invade on their private moment any longer, Baralai hurried himself over to his office. If he was going to do right by Isaaru, he had some communications to get through by the next day.

His first call would be to Besaid.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

**Besaid:**

It was about ten AM when Lulu came into Yuna's tent to alert her that she had a call on the comm. Sphere outside. She couldn't for the life of her think of who it could be; after all she had mostly lost touch with all of her friends, what with them being so busy and all. Yuna was quite surprised to see Baralai's face, albeit fuzzy on the screen.

"Do you miss me already?" she giggled with a hand over her mouth. "How are you lovebirds doing?" Yuna hid well the fact that only an hour before that she was a mess in her tent missing the praetor herself. She felt that if she made him out to miss her more it wouldn't hurt so badly, or at least that is the reasoning she used for her own insecurities. Instead of his smiling face, Baralai's expression didn't change, and he seemed worse than he had been just three days before. "Why do you look so upset?"

"Yuna I need to ask a favor." Baralai said sadly into the comm. Sphere, hanging his head.

"Anything! Just tell me what's wrong!"

He told her about Isaaru, the squatter monkeys, his illness, the room; everything he could remember in the frame of mind he was in. He watched as she sunk to her knees in the sand with every word he said until she looked as upset as he had been. "So, will you come here tonight or early tomorrow morning so he could have his proper sending? I can't imagine anyone else doing it."

"Of course." She said without hesitation. "Anything you want, but the ferries from Besaid won't get me to Luca in time, and even by Chocobo it would take at least two days! If I had an airship I could get to Bevelle tonight." Yuna sat in contemplation for a moment trying to figure out what to do about her travel arrangements when an idea struck her. "I know! I can call the only people I could rely on in a situation like this! I will see you in Bevelle tonight, Baralai! I gotta go! I need to make another call, OK?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Bevelle:**

Baralai nodded and disconnected the comm. Sphere. There was a knock on his door and he turned around to see a young woman standing in the doorway. She was of slender build, with long, brown, loose curls that fell from the priestess hat she was wearing. Closing the door behind her, the girl approached Baralai's desk and bowed before him.

"It's good to see you again, Praetor Baralai." She said through a smile. "How are you this morning?"

Baralai looked the woman over, trying to remember if he had met her someplace before. He couldn't, and the expression on his face was terribly obvious to his guest.

"You don't remember me?" She was met again by a vacant glance. "Oh! That's right, we haven't officially met. You were gone when I was hired, but I saw you when you did your speech in Luca." Stretching out her hand across the desk, she introduced herself to Baralai. "My name is Dinah, and I am responsible for handling odd jobs for whoever's in charge! I did it for Praetor Isaaru, so I'm here for you too if you need me!"

Baralai shook Dinah's hand and smiled back at her. "Thank you, Dinah. It's nice to meet you too. Anyone that Isaaru picked has to be worth keeping around."

"He was so cute!" She exclaimed, her blue eyes sparkling like a love struck teenager. "I bet he had a phenomenal bod underneath those robes…" Baralai watched as Dinah lost herself in thought before snapping her out of it.

"Yeah…he was quite a hit with the…ladies." He said hesitantly. Baralai wasn't sure if she knew about him and Isaaru so he played coy just in case. Fortunately for him, Dinah didn't seem to notice and kept babbling on.

"Between you and Praetor Isaaru it's a wonder the temple isn't overrun with girls. I'm beginning to think it was a good idea for you to have been in Besaid for so long." She giggled, went over to Baralai's desk and picked up some papers lying there as he stood by.

Baralai couldn't get over how candid Dinah was being around him, considering he had only just met her. Then again, she _was_ an attractive woman and she seemed to know it, so she probably didn't have trouble talking to anyone about anything. He watched as she darted around his office like a hummingbird, stopping at certain spots to either pick up papers or wipe down surfaces with a cloth she kept tucked away in the pocket of her skirt. Every so often she'd glance over to him, flash a friendly smile and he'd blush, embarrassed that he was caught looking at her. It wasn't that he was attracted to her, but he compared her beauty to that of a painting; she was someone anyone male or female could look at and admire.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Meanwhile on the Celsius….**

"Wow Paine!" Rikku squealed with enthusiasm. "Just look at all these spheres we got from the ruins! Who'da thunk we'd get such a haul from a dump like Zanarkand, huh?" She took each sphere out of her pack and transferred them to a bin that sat between the girls' beds; her eyes as wide as saucers. "I wonder what's on them; I can't wait to start looking!"

"Not now, Rikku." Paine said sharply, falling backwards onto her bed with a hand over her face. "It's been a long morning, and we have all day to look them over. I just want to take an hour nap or something and you should too."

"But I don't wanna, Dr. P!" she whined "I'm not even tired! I could go for at least another coupla hours! It's not even eleven o'clock yet." Rikku kicked the bin out of her way and sat down on her own bed, pouting at the thought of not seeing the spheres. "Why do I hafta wait for you to see them anyway? I won't mess em up!"

Paine gave Rikku a questionable look. "First of all- don't call me Dr. P. Just because your boyfriend insists on calling me that doesn't mean you can."

"Gippal's not my boyfriend!" Rikku said, blushing a little. "As if! Besides, it's a cute nickname!" she desperately wanted to change the subject to avoid further grief from Paine. "Anyway just let me look, please? I said I won't mess em up!"

"Oh really? Do you remember the time you pushed the button to watch one and it ended up erasing the entire sphere? That sphere was worth a ton of Gil, Rikku. You're not looking at any of these spheres until I see them or at least as long as I'm in the room with you"

"But I am in the room with y…"

"When I'm _awake_, Rikku!" Paine corrected. Now do yourself a favor and rest. Buddy's going to take us to our next location and it's going to be at least another hour."

"But!"

"No buts! C'mon, don't be a pain, ok? I just don't have the energy you do." Paine leaned into her pillow and shut her eyes. The comm. Sphere in the room began to glow and buzz, startling the two. "What was that?"

"It's the comm. Sphere." Rikku answered, looking at the image on the screen. "It's Yunie! Maybe she wants to come back sphere hunting with us!" The bubbly blonde waved excitedly into the orb at her cousin. "Yunie!!! what's up? We haven't heard from ya in ages! Me and Dr. P miss you tons!" Rikku received a pillow to her face from Paine, making Yuna giggle a little.

"Hey you two!" Yuna said happily, feeling glad that little had changed between the two since they parted ways last year. "I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor?"

"What can we do for you, Yuna?" Paine asked, catching the pillow from Rikku that she'd just thrown at her. Placing it down onto her bed, Yuna explained her situation and the two nodded.

"We'll be in Besaid in a shaky shake!" Rikku exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I'll go tell Brother right now to set the coordinates! Later Yunie!" and with that, the bubbly girl left the screen's view, heading to the cockpit of the airship.

Yuna sighed in relief. "Thank you so much. Baralai needs me...it's important that I go."

"I understand." Paine replied with a sympathetic smile. "I wish he would have let us all know what was going on with him, then again, it's not like him to be open with us anyway." she trailed off, receiving a look from Yuna. "I know...I'm not any different but I'm improving." she crossed her arms over her chest and blushed. "Anyway, we'll see you in a few minutes!"

"Roger!" Yuna said with a smile, clicking off the comm. sphere. The next order of business for her was to start packing. Kneeling down under her bed, Yuna pulled out a couple of empty satchels and began filling them with her personal effects. She was startled by a figure standing in the doorway.

It was Lulu.

"So, you're going to be leaving?" The mage said softly, gliding over to Baralai's empty bed and sitting herself upon it. "Will you be gone long?" Lulu picked at a piece of fuzz from the comforter, twisting it around in her fingers while Yuna continued to pack her things.

"I'm not sure, but I'll stay for as long as Baralai needs me." Closing one of the satchels, she placed it onto the ground and began filling the other one. She didn't want to reveal to Lulu that she had felt like she would burst if she didn't feel needed by at least someone, because that would show weakness, and the all powerful, savior of Spira was not allowed to be weak according to Yuna. The girl found herself a bit disappointed when she also realized Lulu picked that up about her.

"I understand your need to help people." Lulu began, rising up from the bed to be closer to her friend. "It's OK to feel like you're important to someone..." she looked away, placing a comforting hand to Yuna's shoulder. "You've always been important and needed by Wakka and I. I'm sorry if we never showed it."

Yuna smiled, touched by the gesture and she nodded. "I know that, Lu. Thank you. But you and Wakka have each other...the only thing you really need me for is to watch Vidina for you!" She giggled at that statement, because although it sounded a little harsh, Yuna didn't mean it in that way, and Lulu understood. Picking up the now full satchel off of the bed, and grabbing the other one from the floor, Yuna made her way out of her hut, but turned back to her former guardian and smiled.

"Baralai's like me...he doesn't have anyone that needs him, and we made a promise to always be there for one another."

Lulu walked with Yuna to the outer parts of Besaid where the Celsius had just docked. The hatch opened and Rikku flew out, almost tripping over her own feet in the process. Giving her cousin a quick squeeze and saying a hello to the mage, Rikku grabbed Yuna's bags and hurried back to the Celsius leaving Yuna and Lulu alone. Lulu hugged Yuna tightly.

"Please be careful. You know how Bevelle is, and if you need me for anything, please let me know." She placed a kiss on Yuna's cheek and released her. Yuna walked backwards, waving to Lulu as she went.

"I will! Tell Wakka I'm sorry I missed saying goodbye! But I'll be back someday soon, I promise!" And before she knew it, Lulu was watching as the huge airship started up and raised itself into the sky, darting off in the direction of Bevelle.

**END Chapter 5**

_A/N: So, I haven't updated this fic in a while...I'd been sitting on this chapter and the rest of the fic for a long time, because I was unsure where it was going. I still don't have any idea so please bear with me for now. Due to the pairing I'm assuming no one really is reading this anyway, but that's all right. I still enjoy writing it for myself and those that might still be reading. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

"So Yunie..." Rikku began as she put both of her cousin's bags onto Yuna's old bed in the room that Rikku and Paine were still sharing on the Celsius. "What's up with Baralai that you need to go see him? Is he all right?"

Yuna shoved one of the satchels over, sitting herself down in its place. "It's a long story." She began sadly, trying to figure out a way to start. "It all started with some squatter monkeys..."

The girls listened as Yuna filled them in about everything that Baralai had filled her in just hours before, and they too felt the saddening affects of the tale, just as Yuna had when she first heard it. Paine sighed, looking the other way to avoid showing either of them tears if they threatened to fall, and Rikku just sat there with a pout on her face.

"Poor, Poor Praetor Baralai!" The Al-Bhed said sadly, thumbing away tears. "That's the most tragic thing I've ever heard compared to you and _him_, Yuna."

"Baralai must be so upset that he didn't come back sooner" Paine added, sitting up off of her bed. "At least he has you to send Isaaru for him. "

Yuna lie back on her bed as she listened, absentmindedly remembering her time spent on the spacious airship not so long ago. This vessel held a lot of fond memories for her, and not so fond...such as the time she spent running around for someone that she thought was someone else. Still, Yuna decided to take the high road, preferring to think that the journey resulted in some more happy memories than sad ones.

"Hey Dr. P, now that you're not nappin' could we maybe look at the spheres we got? Please?" Rikku batted her eyelashes at Paine, who only scowled and rolled her eyes.

"I guess so. Go ahead and pick one."

"Where'd you get all these?" Yuna asked, turning on her side to face the two women. The box of spheres sat on Rikku's lap as she searched through them, trying to find the perfect one to click on first. Finally settling on one from the bottom, she smiled at Yuna.

"We got em' from the Zanarkand Ruins!" Rikku answered, eyeing the sphere in her hand as it glowed. "I don't know how we missed them when the three of us explored, but we got lucky, right Paine?"

"Yeah." Paine answered, picking a sphere out of the box for herself. "It's weird that they were there, though. It's almost like they were planted or something."

Rikku clicked on a sphere, waiting for the image to appear, but it was only foggy static, and Paine found the one in her hand to be the same way. After clicking on a few more and seeing the same results, they both put their spheres back into the box, sighing with disappointment, especially Rikku. Seeing her friend upset, Paine patted the al-Bhed's shoulder lightly.

"Well, we can't win them all, huh?" She offered, but Rikku couldn't hide her disappointment.

"I guess." Rikku grumbled, shoving the box back under her bed. "This is beginning to be no fun anymore. Every time we find something it turns out to be nothin'." She threw herself backwards onto her own bed and sighed. Brother peeked his head through the doorway, knocking on the framework.

"Yu-na..." he stammered, a little nervous to be talking to her. "We have landed in Bevelle, just like you have asked."

She smiled warmly at the man, rising from her bed. "Thank you, Brother! And I must say, every time I hear you speak you get better and better!" That compliment caused the young man to blush, and without another word he darted out of the doorway and back to the cockpit screaming something about it being the best day of his life.

"He'll never change, will he?" Yuna asked her cousin as she reached for her bags. Rikku just shrugged.

"I doubt it! Whelp, it looks like we've made it!" Rikku followed behind Paine and Yuna as they headed to the doorway of the Celsius.

"Are you guys going to come see Baralai for a bit?" wondered Yuna, placing her bags down in front of the lift.

"I'm afraid not this time." Paine admitted, leaning against the wall. "We've got another place we have to check out, and we'd like to get there before the sun goes down."

"Yeah." Rikku agreed. "I'm even more pumped to go find more spheres now that those other ones were such a bust! But tell him we said hi, and we're thinkin' of him, ok?" She reached forth and hugged her cousin, and Paine followed suit. "Don't be a stranger, eh, Yunie? We miss you."

"I've missed you guys too." The woman admitted, picking up her bags again. "I promise I won't let so much distance pass between us next time. Good luck with your sphere hunting!" Yuna called out as she proceeded down the lift. "Thanks again for the ride!" As she stepped off of the lift, it raised up quickly, and she could hear Brother shouting obscenities at Buddy as the Celsius prepared to take flight. Paine and Rikku waved from the deck at their cousin and friend before vanishing into the now darkening sky.

Yuna made her way to the temple gates, bags in hand, as the sun began to set on the city of Bevelle. She admitted to herself that despite all of the deceptions from the Yevon beliefs that she always enjoyed the city at night; the lights always looked so heavenly as if from another world. Opening the doors to the Temple's entrance, Yuna stepped onto the glyph that would take her to Baralai's office, eager to see her friend once more. Stopping in front of his doorway, Yuna noticed him talking to a young, Bevelian woman and wondered who she was. She was about to knock on the door frame when Baralai noticed her. He smiled, and headed for her direction immediately.

"Yuna! I'm so happy to see you!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her into a huge hug. She clung on to him even tighter than he had on her, not wanting to let him go.

"I've missed you." Yuna breathed, her head on his shoulder.

"But it's only been about two or three days!" Baralai continued to hold her, realizing how upset she really was that he had left. "I'm sorry...I didn't really give your feelings too much thought when I left, did I?"

Yuna pulled out of his embrace, smiling apologetically at the Praetor. "No, no! You didn't do anything wrong. Please...I knew you needed to go. I shouldn't have kept you for so long. Maybe none of this would have ever happened." She looked down onto the floor sadly, and Baralai brought her chin up gently with his hand.

"Don't." He started, thumbing away a tear that had escaped her green eye. "This isn't your fault." Baralai took her hand in his and led her over to his desk, finally noticing Dinah standing by it with an uncertain look on her face, which dissipated into a smile. "Oh Yuna! Please forgive me. This is Dinah. She is my helper here, and a very good one at that!" He looked at Dinah, who seemed to be fixated on Yuna. "Dinah, this is..."

"Lady Yuna! What a pleasure to meet you!" Dinah interrupted, reaching for Yuna's hand, shaking it heartily. "I've heard so much about you! Thank you for all you've done for Spira."

"Please just call me Yuna." The woman begged, a little embarrassed for all of the praise and formalities. "That was a long time ago. I'm just an ordinary woman now." Yuna was never very comfortable with her status, which was why she hid away in Besaid for the past year.

Dinah shook her head, folding her arms to her chest. "You're hardly ordinary. No one will ever forget what you have done and sacrificed for all of us." she bowed humbly, further embarrassing Yuna, but as polite as always, the summoner ignored it, taking it as a compliment. "Baralai, may I take my leave? I am afraid I have other things to finish before I'm out of here."

Baralai nodded, making way for Dinah to pass. "Of course, thank you for all of your help today." He bowed, and she did as well.

"Goodnight then! Nice to meet you, Yuna!" and with that, the young woman left the office, leaving the two friends alone.

"So, what do you have to eat around here?" Yuna asked, holding onto her grumbling stomach. "I haven't eaten in ages! Would you have dinner with me?"

"Of course! I'm all clear for tonight. Let's eat in my quarters, and then I could show you to yours since they are right next to mine. Shall we?" Baralai offered up his arm and Yuna took it, and as they reached the door to his office, each one took a bag and headed up to the Praetor's personal chambers.

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After several hours sitting Indian style on the rug in Baralai's room just eating and talking, Yuna stood up to leave. "I think we should both get some rest; we're going to need all of our strength for tomorrow."

Baralai rose to his feet as well, placing the empty plates on the service tray. "Yes. We are. Let me take you to your room, it's this way." Yuna followed him out of his chambers and to the room next door. "This is where you're staying. Please don't hesitate to come to me if you need anything, ok?"

"Sure thing, Baralai, and thank you for everything tonight." She hugged him once again, and could feel his arms tensing up in the embrace. Yuna knew what that had meant; that he was thinking of Isaaru again, and she just let him linger in her arms. "I know this is going to be hard for you. Just hang in there."

"I know." He sighed, trembling a little. "You don't know how much I appreciate your being here. Thank you so much."

"You're my best friend." She began, the back of her hand trailing on his right cheek tenderly. "I'd do anything for you. Now try to get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." Yuna closed the door, heading into her own chambers and Baralai stood in his doorway trying to compose himself before closing his own. Heading for the dressing area, the young man slipped into comfortable sleepwear and climbed into his bed. Lying on his back, Baralai turned the lights off and stared up at the ceiling, drifting in and out of consciousness.

A few moments later the room became suddenly chilly, and Baralai pulled the blankets up to his neck as he struggled to keep warm. He then felt a bit of pressure at the foot of his bed and leaned upward to see it better. In the dark before him stood a figure;one that resembled his fallen love.

"Isaaru?" Baralai asked, unsure if he could trust his eyes for all the darkness. "Is that you?"

The figure nodded, approaching Baralai's left side of the bed. He could see Isaaru's face clearly now, and he leaned over on his side, reaching out to try and touch him. "I can't believe it's you...why are you here?"

"Don't send me tomorrow." the man pleaded. "Please give me more time..."

"But your brothers...they may not let me postpone this." Baralai tried to touch him again, but his hand just went through Isaaru's. "What should I tell them?"

"They'll understand." Isaaru said, his figure's glow fading softly in the darkened room. "Please...just don't let Yuna send me yet."

Baralai nodded, still surprised at what he was seeing, and Isaaru dissipated into pyre flies before him, vanishing from the room. He quickly reached for the light, but as he clicked it on he was disappointed to find that Isaaru had truly gone. As he tried to get back to sleep, Baralai wondered how he was going to explain to Isaaru's brothers that he had come to him in the night asking him not to send him yet.


End file.
